Okay, I had been looking for work for over five months and finally found a job a few weeks ago. It didn’t work out. I don’t want to get into it, so it’s best to say it just didn’t work out. Jobs in the industry I work in are shrinking and moving out of the city. Other jobs I can get don’t pay enough to live in New York City. Even though I live in a rent stabilized apartment, the cost of living is becoming too high for me to live here. So I’ve decided to move. The obvious place for me to relocate is the town I was born in, Peoria, Illinois. My family is there and I have a lot of friends in that city and I’m fairly confident that I will be able to find a job there before my unemployment runs out. So I’m moving there in a few weeks.

What does that mean for this blog? Well it means in a few weeks Tripping With Marty will be over. My third blog in three years is coming to an end. But as always, one ending means a new beginning. I’m going to be starting a new blog in November, once I’m settled in to Peoria. If you’d like to be notified when that starts, please send me your email address if I don’t have it.

I had a great time here in New York and feel like I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to do when I moved here 19 years ago. Life hands you exit signs and you should know when to heed them. My time’s up here and it’s time to move on down the road. I’ve met and made some wonderful friends here and I will miss all of you, but we can keep in touch via the internet, emails and when I come back to visit NYC, which I plan on doing often.I really want to thank all of you who have followed me on my blogs and on my journey of life. A new chapter starts in about six weeks, I hope to see all of you there. Peace and love to you all. Thanks for being my friend. You make my day and nights with every page view and comment. I feel lucky to have an audience and hope you all will stay tuned for my further exploits in the midwest. See you soon.

Now I have boxes to pack.

P.S. I’ll continue to update TWM now and again while I move, so stay tuned. I’ll live blog my trip back to Peoria when that happens in a few weeks.

My friend Decker (pictured on the left) is a world traveler and he sent in a photo of himself and a friend having a beer from one of his stops on a recent trip. If you can correctly guess where in the world this took place, Decker will buy you a beer there the next time he's there. You, of course, are responsible for traveling expenses.Cheers and thanks to Decker for sending this in!

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Reader Comments (80)

Oh noes! And another character of NYC will be gone. It was great knowing you via your blogs and IRL. We need to take you out for that last drink/hurrah. Just pick the time and place. Good luck to you, man, nonetheless...

New York City will not be the same. For 3 years now, every time I've come to town, we've hung out. It will be very strange, and sad, that when I return - you will not be there :( NYC just got a lot less fun. Maybe I'll only visit once a year - and makes trips elsewhere. I could ramble on - but won't ! Just can't wait to see you drive a car, and back to regular blogging in Peoria !

Hey man, New York is nowhere, and I've lived in NYC for over 50 years. Had to get out when I had my stroke but they were trying to evict me anyway. The hell with my old Lower East apartment, it's probably over a thousand dollars a month by now. I've been living in my brother's house in New Jersey, about an hour and a half from the city. I did go back about 2 years and looked around, I shook my head, there was nothing I wanted to see anymore. New York is dead, good riddance. You know what you should do, pay a visit to Chicago, what a city that is, wow, I loved it. Spent nearly a year bumming through its streets, it's like I was the old New York, a 'real' New York. I never met any nicer people than I met in Chicago, 'my kinda a town.' Don't look on Peoria as your last stop, look upon it as your first before you move to Chicago...or San Francisco...or Seattle...or...oh, you know what I mean...One town, New York, hasn't worked, you tried it, time to move on and find another town to settle down in. Just keep on truckin', baby ;)

As we spoke recently, I felt you are doing the right thing. Bittersweet for sure. Gotta go where the work is as we all know. I was on Google Earth this morning and zoomed into your apartment building,,,,could not believe it,,,at least 10,000 people waiting in line to rent your place, be careful when you open your door,,,,,,lol. Every sad thing, every bad turn,,,,,something better comes along.

@Sam: We're on, I'll call you later in the week. You're picking up the check, right?

@Al: When I tell people here that I'm moving the first reaction has been, "Oh, I hate to see you go," and that's followed by, "So what are you doing with your apartment?" Ha ha ha! I hear you on life's twists and turns and feel good about this decision!

A very sad day indeed. There is only one thing to do. This Wednesday I will go to The Euclid Avenue Yacht Club in ATL .... ( www.theeayc.com ) one of the deepest darkest dives around these parts and raise several beers to TWM. " Beers Speed My Friend " Cheers !

At least you'll be able to have a 16 once soft drink and smoke a cigarrete in public without looking over your shoulder Marty! I think you already have my email address, so keep me posted when you're settled in to your Peoria Blog. Living in Bloomberg's New York would have driven me very crazy very quickly I think. Why not devote a chapter of your Peoria blog to the TV greats of Peoria past when you're settled in...Captain Jinks and Salty Sam and the late great Milton Budd of nightmare theatre when you get settled in. Many a time, Milton's weird floating head kept me mesmerized when I low crawled down stairs past my parents bedroom to catch Nightmare Theatre on TV with the sound turned down REAL low...

Marty, when I first read the news I was shocked. But after a few seconds it passed. What's happened to you is part of a larger trend I think. (After a decade here I have decided to get the ball rolling and start looking elsewhere. Nothing immediate yet, but I have decided once and for all that this is not going to be my settling down place, which is not how I felt when I moved here.) All but one of my NY friends have left for greener pastures. I don't feel bad for them I don't feel bad for you. This city nowadays is...words can't really express how I feel about it. Let's just say it feels empty. It used to feel loaded with possibility, now it feels like a dead end. I actually feel good about your leaving, just as I did when one of my friends moved to Milwaukee a couple years ago. The world has changed and thanks to this internet thing you can be wherever and still connect with everyone you know. The only things to miss about present day NYC are the food and the late hours. Those are great and all, but then again a paltry compensation for all the bullshit you put up with living here. If you ever feel homesick just go check out EV grieve and remind yourself of "good riddance". I hope you'll enjoy the quiet and the wide open space in Peoria. This blog brought much needed humanity to the internets. I will miss your unique take on the city but I'll be glad to read about whatever you decide to blog about going forward.

19 years all because of a crazy board game, not a bad run! Bummed to hear this Marty but it seems as though you are dealing with it in a positive manner! Will be waiting for the next chapter.....always had many laughs reading your shit! Thanks....and stay in touch! Stay thirsty my friend!

I'm selfish..I'm happy to get Marty in the Midwest where of course i will probably never see him even though he will be three hours away.I was raised in the SF area.(with my own east coast stint for a few years). It got too pricy.. moved on to Seattle.. shit, i made a killing on a house there.. was able to buy a house outright in the midwest.BUT.. I can never afford to return..I cant afford to go back where I was raised.So I gave my heart to the midwest..The people here welcomed me with the hearts.. and I am truly happy here.I am jealous in the aspect that Marty can go home..Be with his parents ect... I would love to do that..New York is not the same as it was 19 years ago.I've lived on both coasts...Marty as in the words of a very close "friend" of "ours" He said this to me when I moved here and now i pass those words on to you."Welcome Home"

Damn! Marty this news is like pissing ice cubes! But all the respect my friend from Amsterdam! You are my only NYC friend...now you're going to be my only friend in Peoria! :) Let's leave NYC with a blast my friend!

You're a legend, Marty. These blogs have been a staple in my internet diet for the past 3 years. If it wasn't for 365 I wouldn't have met you, Biff or the Baltimore Powerhouse of Gene, Debbie and Terry...whats worse, I could have ended up sober in NYC! Rock on, Marty. We wish you all the best in the next phase of your life. Stay in touch and keep me informed when the new blog starts.

@bjillNYATL: I'll be tipping a few in yours and everyone's honor tonight! Cheers!

@Jaws: I will definitely give a nod and a wink to Capt'n Jinks, Salty Sam and Milton Budd on the new blog! They were big influences in my life!

@legitimate beef: You pretty much hit the nail on the head. I still love New York City, but it's not the same place I moved to in 1993. For me, it's become a city that will always be fun to visit, but it's time for me to move on down the road.

@Goggla: Please turn that frown upside down. One of the great things about my 19 years here were meeting great and cool people like yourself and everyone else we hang out with. We will definitely keep in touch and we'll have a blast on my trips back here.

@Professor Dungpie: I think I see a road trip to Milwaukee in my future! We'll finally be able to have those 3,798 beers after all!

@BabyDave Thanks, but I feel like my work here is done. Time to shake the shit up in Peoria!

@Gidget: Thanks for the welcome and I think I know who that "friend" is! We will definitely meet in the midwest!

@meleah: We can still meet in real life, you just have to come to Peoria now!

@K9RADIOTIKI: Sorry we didn't get to meet in NYC, but this gives you a good excuse to come to Peoria! I'll find a tiki bar in the area for you!

Oh it is sad. Marty, you do have a talent for bringing people together, online & in person (usually drink in hand). But I know how you feel about today's New York. Having immediate family here, I'll be staying put, but it's certainly changed in a lot of crass & unaffordable ways. I think the Peoria blog will be great & different (1 in every 3 NYers seems to blog about something) & I can't wait to read it. You'd better come back for some Ruby's, Lucy's, Hank's, Blarney Stone, ETC ETC ETC reunions!!!!

Marty, Ist off, the beer is from Laos. South Asia is on my list. 2nd, I guess were not gonna have a Tripping with Marty part 2 in Weehawken. That said, New York City is losing a very rare talent. In 19 years you became more New York than most of the Idiots that were born in Manhattan. Maybe you can turn Peoria, Illinois into a new East Village, hehe. We gotta hang out before you leave. How about a Tripping with Marty live Blog Beer fest.

Marty - I got to the Mars Bar - and it closed 2 months later. I got to the Holiday Cocktail Lounge - and it closed the next month. I finally got to meet you and a couple months later you close up shop. WTF? All of these great NY institutions coming to an end. I was looking forward to meeting you for beers again but it will have to wait. Thanks for all your work, Best of luck and we will all find out if it "Will play in Peoria". Take care. Art

As Death Cab For Cutie once sang; "I Will Follow You Into Peoria". Okay, so it's "into the Dark" ... but let's exercise a bit of artistic license, shall we?

On the day you leave, the bar lights will be a little dimmer, the subways will run a little slower, and the Dance Party will have a little less dance in it.

NYC is a great backdrop for your writing ... but honestly, the best part of your blog is YOU and how you view the world. I wish you all the best for your new chapter. I can't wait to see what's next in The Incredible Adventures of M. Wombacher.

I'm sure your parents will be happy that you've returned. How weird for you will it be to drive again? :)

@Art: Aha! So it's all your fault! Seriously, I'm glad I got to have a few drinks with you in NYC this summer. It was a great ride hear, but it's time for me to move on to a new chapter. Now you've got a good excuse to take a road trip to Peoria!

@roadsidewonders: Thanks Wendy! My parents are very happy and it will be weird to be driving again, but it'll make for an interesting facet to the new blog: Road Trip! And speaking of road trips, maybe Roadside Wonders will show up one day! If so, the beers are on me at Mike's!

Hey Marty - I guess this means that I won't get that chance to be your guest on TWM when I come to visit NYC. Now that your time there is up, I will have one more less friend in NYC. They all seem to be leaving; you are in very good company. Seriously though, the Midwest rocks - despite the east and west coasts believing it is just fly-over territory - the air is clean and the potential road trips rule ! I highly recommend The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame as a road trip blog destination - I took an impulsive 14 hr road trip there last summer and had a blast ! Best of luck to you in Peoria - we know that town is going to rock with you back there reporting live (when you can) on bars, bookstores, and record shops. Peoria will be singing, "the boy is back in town" and is very lucky to have you back in the fold ! Please let us all know how you are doing so we can continue to send our love and support for your future success. Keep on Trippin' !

PS: the Beer Loa was a dead give away and since I messed up my trip to Anghor Watt this past year, I don't want to go there anyway :)

I'll bet there's some 24 year old entrpreneur hipster who's already put down a $14,000 deposit on your apartment. Another interesting person who made a real contribution is leaving the city and being replaced by a person solely here to make money off the other 20 something newcomers. They should all rot.

I am however looking forward to a Peoria Blog. NY's loss is Peoria's gain. Best of luck, I've enjoyed following your adventures over the past few years, and looking forward to the new chapter.

Bummer. Sorry to hear you're going Marty. Let me know when you're going to Rubys, or hell, anywhere before you go. Would like to buy you a beer or seven. But best of luck and happiness with your future!

PS: Carefully check the moving van before you leave and make sure CBM doesn't try and hop on. I don't want to see a report on the 10 o'clock news saying you were responsible for unknowingly transporting that scurge of all that is human and holy to the midwest! Promise us you will be vigilant!